Comparison of Quests A quest is a journey one takes to find something. In order to have a quest, five things must happen. There must be a quester. The quester must have a place to go. There must be a stated reason for the quester to go. The quester must have obstacles. Finally, the quester must have a real reason for going. One quester is Dennis Covington. He was a journalist covering a murder case at a snake-handling church. He soon felt a spiritual pull that led him to visit other snake-handling churches and eventually handling them himself. Another quester is Beowulf. He was a heroic warrior from Geatland who overcomes many challenges throughout his life. Although the two questers are very different in many aspects of life, their quests …show more content…
have many similarities, but the differences outweigh the similarities. The similarities between Dennis Covington’s and Beowulf’s quests include encounters with serpents, traveling to different places, participating in groups, and overcoming obstacles to reach their goals.
Dennis decides to handle snakes, while Beowulf has to battle a dragon, which is a winged serpent (Covington 169; Beowulf 2550-2711). Dennis also has to travel to different churches, while Beowulf has to travel to Denmark from Geatland (Covington 82; Beowulf 210-228). Both participate in groups, Dennis’s being the church-going snake handlers and Beowulf’s being his fellow Geat warriors (Covington 82; Beowulf 206-208). In order to reach their goals, Dennis had to overcome the fear of getting bit by a snake, and Beowulf had to defeat his enemies in battle (Covington 169; Beowulf …show more content…
736-835). There are a few differences between Dennis Covington’s and Beowulf’s quests. Dennis faces obstacles in his quest that are more internal than external. Beowulf on the other hand faces obstacles that are external. Dennis faces things like being an outsider to a tight-knit community, which is the group of snake handlers. He also has to face his fear of handling the snakes to finally reach his goal, finding himself spiritually and discovering his roots. Instead of facing internal things like fear, Beowulf faces external things such as monsters and dragons. Beowulf’s goal of his quest is to become famous and wealthy and ultimately leave his legacy. In order to achieve this, Beowulf has to defeat Grendel, who is a descendant of Cain. Then, he must defeat Grendel’s mother (Beowulf 736-835, 1497-1569). After he fights and defeats both Grendel and his mother, Beowulf achieves fame and wealth. To complete his goal for the quest, Beowulf decides to fight a dragon. This decision ultimately kills Beowulf, but he does leave his legacy so his quest is completed (Beowulf 2550-2820). The questers both have different motivations for going on their quests.
Dennis Covington’s is to find out more about his family heritage and his spirituality (Covington 114). In Salvation on Sand Mountain, Dennis says, “My journey with the snake handlers had become not so much a linear progression through time as a falling through levels of platitude toward some hard understanding of who I was. I did not know where or when I would arrive at my destination. All I knew for certain was that snakes would be waiting for me there”(Covington 132). Beowulf’s motivation is to gain fame and wealth and to leave his legacy. In Beowulf, the narrator says, “The Geat people built a pyre for Beowulf, stacked and decked it until it stood four-square, hung with helmets, heavy war-shields and shining armour, just as he had ordered. Then his warriors laid him in the middle of it, mourning a lord far-famed and beloved”(Beowulf
3137-3142). Despite the differences between Dennis Covington and Beowulf, they both go on quests. There are a few similarities between the quests, but there are more differences. Serpents, traveling, groups, and obstacles are some of the similarities between the quests. They both have to overcome obstacles, but the obstacles they face are very different. Also, the motivation for going on the quests for both questers are different.
In the book, The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver, the notion of a quest is very prevalent. According to Thomas Foster, a Quest consists of five things a quester, a place to go, a reason to go there, challenges and trials, and an actual purpose (Foster). Taylor Greer’s journey in The Bean Trees embodies Foster’s ideals through which she gains self-knowledge, learns to thrive and finds her place in the world.
In this chapter, a quest is defined to consist of five main elements: (a) a quester, (b) a place to go, (c) a stated reason to go there, (d) challenges and trials en route, and (e) a reason and go there. Element (a), the quester, is understood to be embarking on a journey while being with or without the realization that he/she is on a quest. The quester is also often depicted as one of youth because youth is accompanied with inexperience and a lack of self knowledge which allows the ultimate goal of the quest to be fulfilled which is the gating of this knowledge.
When someone hears the word quest, their mind automatically goes to a mythical land of dragons and knights in shining armor. However, Thomas Foster’s book How to Read Literature Like a Professor states that this shouldn’t always be the case. In Chapter One: Every Trip Is a Quest, Foster claims that a quest in literature can take place in any time period and can be as mundane as grocery shopping. In order to classify an event as quest, it needs to follow certain criteria. There needs to be “a quester, a place to go, a stated reason to go there, challenges and trials en route, and a real reason to go there” (Foster, 3). Furthermore, considering the definition of a quest by Thomas Foster, it is clear that the novel, The Secret Life of Bees, fits
society in which he lives. He apartment is purposely set on the opposite side of town
This last encounter was destined to define his lasting legacy. He lived as a warrior; it was only natural that he should die as one as well, he hopes to go down in a fiery blaze of glory, pun intended. At this point in time, Beowulf is a seventy-year-old king, he knows he is mortal and isn’t going to live forever. Nevertheless, even as an old man, it was his duty to protect and defend his subjects until the death. Towards the end Beowulf’s death looms closer and it seems like he foreshadows that he is prepared to meet his maker. “When I meet the cave guard: what occurs on the wall, between the two of us will turn out as fate, overseer of men, decides. I am resolved. I scorn further words against this sky-borne foe” (Heaney 2525-2528). Beowulf’s maturity has blossomed to its utmost peak, ironically right before he is laid to rest in the valley of death that is Beowulf’s Barrow. His endeavors throughout this long journey have brought him wisdom and enlightenment. Since the beginning, he has rapidly progressed over time, especially since evolving from his role as a warrior to a king. Initially, Beowulf was insatiable with pleasure seeking activities, but then he
What is hero? A hero, under the Merriam-Webster definition, is a person who is admired for brave/great acts or fine qualities. This is a very broad definition that combines both ancient and modern belief of what --or who-- a hero should be. Beowulf is an epic poem that focuses on an Anglo-Saxon hero. As such he embodies the traits that his culture valued most. Deadpool, on the other hand, portrays the most recent ideas of what traits a hero should embody. With these examples from contrasting periods, we are still able to see similarities and differences that shows how modern and Anglo-Saxon idea of heroism reflects its culture.
This essay is the comparison between Beowulf and a modern day hero. I consider any American soldier to be my modern day hero. In this essay I will explain in three paragraphs of how my modern day hero is like Beowulf. With in these three paragraphs I will go over how they are both fighting for a good cause, how they are both rewarded for what they do, and how they are both treated with much respect.
The Quest Pattern theory states that during adolescence a youth is looking for their identity. This individual will look for a place where they are accepted. The quest fits a loose pattern; the first step is determined by fate, destiney provides a troubling situation before the individual can embark on their journey. Then the initial change happens, or the event that sets the quest in motion. Next is the unchartered territory, in this stage the real adventure happens; a person can geographically venture into new territory, or an experience an emotional journey somewhere outside of their comfort zone. Next, is the required learned knowledge; this is the information that the individual learns about his or her self in order to reach self-acceptance. There is the journey home, which is a quest within itself, but also a stage where more knowledge is gained. Lastly the reward, it is the happiness that occurs from the knowledge that the individual has gained; this stage is also known as finding the meaning of life. The Quest Pattern is a journey of personal evolution that every antagonist can relate to.
A hero is defined as a person who is admired for courage, outstanding achievements or noble qualities. A hero is strong in mind and body, courageous in spirit, and selfless where others are involved. Superman and Beowulf both exhibit these characteristics. The differences between Beowulf and Superman are as obvious as their similarities.
Do people ever talk about superheroes, and monsters? Especially people into comic books and children. Every child, even adults, have a superhero they look up to, or a role model they want to grow up to be like. Superheroes are everywhere from movies to books. Children even sit in their room playing with toy superheroes, hoping one day they can be just like them. Even hundreds of thousands of years ago there were superheroes! A long time ago in the Anglo-Saxon Period there was a brave and loyal hero! His name was Beowulf, and everyone looked up to him. This hero definitely brought peace to many people, and if it wasn’t for the mighty hero Beowulf, the Anglo-Saxons would have been terrorized forever. Therefore, the times were hard before Beowulf, the Anglo-Saxon warriors always stood for three values, and the time was changed without monsters.
Beowulf has been living at his home land taking on challenges that others may not have wanted to take on. He has always been a man of action, always looking for adventure that challenges his strength. When Beowulf was told of the rumors that a demon is tormenting Hrothgar famous mead serving hall he accepted the wise men decisions to help him rid them of the demon. This is where step two of the hero’s journey comes into play. There is a call to adventure that affects the hero in some way. Beowulf may have formed a personal connection to the cries of Hrothgar reason being his father was once had history with Hrothgar . When Hrothgar helped Beowulf 's father settle things with the Wulfings Beowulf may have felt a need to repay his father’s debt. When Beowulf and his men finished the feast the king provided in the mead hall that was closed due to Grendel’s blood lust. ¨Epic heroes possess qualities that mere mortals lack. Bravery beyond compare, superhuman intelligence, strength or skills and a driving desire to find success¨(Connie Jankowski). In this part of the story Beowulf and his men have proven that they do contain the courage
A character is a person in a story that plays a particular role. Stories require characters so that it forms conflicts, tensions and resolutions. Characters also carry certain traits to make the story interesting and unique. Each character might have different attributes. Others could have similar and different qualities. Those who read many novels might notice that characters from various books are similar to each other to an extent, but are not completely the same. The old English poem, Beowulf, and Shakespeare's Macbeth contain characters with similar characteristics. Beowulf and Macbeth share similar traits, but do not have the same objective. Comparing and contrasting determine the similarities and differences of things. Comparing and contrasting is an excellent tool to determine what is right and wrong. When choosing the best car to drive, comparing and contrasting helps in the choice of the best vehicle. Macbeth and Beowulf demonstrate that a warrior's motivations matter for both soldiers and the people.
In the stories of Beowulf and A Knight's Tale, there are many different themes. One of the major themes is the religion that runs through both of them, yet both stories have a very different view of religion. In Beowulf, it seems as if God has chosen where our life will end and where it will begin, everything happens by the will of God in a fair and just way. In The Knight's Tale, we see Greek gods playing with the characters and when they "play" with them, there is no real pattern to how they choose things. Each vies is different and this affects the stories in different ways.
A hero is someone you look up to, someone who has done something to inspire you, someone who is your role model. In our society, there are many different types of heroes—family, friends, teachers, firefighters, and police officers to name a few. But a hero that stands out to me is a U.S. soldier. Soldiers risk their lives every day just so we can have our freedom.
In the novel Salvation on Sand Mountain and in the epic poem Beowulf there is a main character that is going on a quest. A quest is a mission that a person goes on to find some sort of self knowledge whether they are aware of it or not. I believe that Dennis Covington’s quest and Beowulf’s quest are more similar to each other than they are different.